Molokhia — Egyptian Jew's Mallow Soup

About This Recipe

Molokhia is Egypt's national dish and one of the oldest recorded dishes in the world — ancient Egyptians ate it, and it has remained central to Egyptian daily cooking for over three thousand years. Made from the leaves of the Corchorus plant (known as Jew's mallow or mulukhiyah), which when cooked create a glutinous, slightly viscous green soup, molokhia is cooked in rich chicken broth and finished with a tafaya — a crackling-hot infusion of garlic, coriander and sometimes dried coriander seeds fried in butter and poured over the soup for a dramatic, sizzling garlic hit. It is served over rice with pieces of chicken and a vinegar-onion sauce on the side. The slightly slimy texture that is the defining quality of molokhia is controversial outside Egypt but beloved within it.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 400 gfrozen chopped molokhia(or fresh leaves very finely chopped)
• 1 litrerich chicken broth
• 1 wholechicken(poached in the broth)
• 8 clovesgarlic(crushed to a paste)
• 2 tablespoonsground coriander
• 3 tablespoonsbutter
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 1 mediumonion(finely diced, for the vinegar sauce)
• 4 tablespoonswhite vinegar
• 4 servingssteamed white rice

Instructions

1. 1

   Poach the chicken

   Simmer whole chicken in 1.2 litres water with onion, bay leaf and salt for 45 minutes until cooked. Remove chicken, reserve broth. Shred meat, discard skin and bones.

2. 2

   Cook the molokhia

   Bring 1 litre of strained broth to a boil. Add frozen or fresh molokhia. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes. The soup will become slightly viscous.

   Do not boil molokhia hard — it destroys the colour and texture. A gentle simmer is sufficient.

3. 3

   Make the tafaya

   In a small pan, melt butter over high heat until foaming. Add crushed garlic and coriander. Fry for 30 seconds until fragrant and golden. Immediately pour the sizzling tafaya into the molokhia — it will make a dramatic hiss.

4. 4

   Serve

   Make vinegar sauce: combine diced raw onion with vinegar. Serve molokhia soup over rice, topped with shredded chicken. Offer vinegar-onion sauce on the side for each person to add to taste.

Variations

• •

  Rabbit molokhia is the traditional Alexandrian version.

• •

  Shrimp molokhia (coastal Egypt) is lighter and faster.

• •

  Lebanese molokhia is made with whole leaves rather than finely chopped.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat gently — do not boil.

Frequently Asked Questions